Coke oven door handling machine



Aug 2, 1932. F. L. SABIN COKE OVEN DOOR HANDLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30,1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l M F. L. SABIN COKE OVEN DOOR HANDLING MACHINE Aug.2, 1932.

Filed Nov. 30, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 2, 1932. F. L. SABIN COKE OVENDOOR HANDLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 1927 4 SheetsSheet 3 A jzverpcoit K4 Mm? %m, m muHm Aug. 2, 1932.

F. L. SABIN COKE OVEN DOOR HANDLING MACHINE Filed NOV. 30, 1927 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 2, 1932 warren s'rn'rss PA'EENT orsieaFOR-D L. SABIN, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WELLMANENGI- NEERIN G COLIPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO COKEOVEN DOOR HANDLING MACHINE Application filed November 30, 1927. SerialNo. 236,602.

This invention relates to improvements in coke oven door handlingmachines or the like and has reference particularly to means foroperating the door hooks and latches, means for breaking the sealbetween the door and the door frame, means for retracting the door andmeans for swinging the door around into position over the supportingcarriage so that the side and rear surfaces of the door may be readilyaccessible for cleaning and repair.

Doors for coke ovens are ordinarily sealed into the door frames withclay or other nonfusible material which becomes hard during the cokingoperation, sticks to the door and door frame, and renders quitediificult the separation of the door from its frame, when the charge ofcoke is ready to be pushed out of the oven. If a sufficient pull isexerted upon the door in a direction outward and substantially normal tothe plane of the door there is considerable tendency to loosen the framein the oven wall.

Most mechanisms for handling oven doors carry them straight outwarduntil the door I frame and oven wall are cleared. But in conventionalapparatus of this type it is difficult to get behind the door in orderto clean off the sealing clay or to make repairs.

One of the objects of the invention, therei fore, is the provision ofmeans for breaking the seal of the door progressively from the topdownward by means of an outward pull upon the top of the door in advanceof that upon the bottom, whereby little tendency toward loosening of theframe results, the outward pull being accompanied by aslight upward pullin order to clear the bottom of the door frame.

Another object is the provision of means which will enable the firstrearward travel it will be readily accessible to a workman on theplatform for cleaning or repairing. Other objects and features ofnovelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodimentof the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, 1have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a planview of a door handling machine embodying the invention shown inoperative relation to a door in an oven wall, the latter parts being insection.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same machine, the oven wall and doorbeing illustrated in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine looking in the directiontowards the oven; and I I Fig. 4 is a view principally in verticalsection showing the position of the door as it enters or leaves theoven, together with means for supporting it in that position.

In the drawings there is illustrated a carriage framework comprisingside members 10 and 11 and end members 13 and 14, the members 11, 13 and1 1 being made up of structural iron shapes whilethe member 10 ispreferably a casting which is provided with an undercut portion,indicated by the dotted line 15, Fig. 3. The frame carries axles 16 uponwhich are mounted flanged wheels 17 that are adapted to run upon trackrails 18. The framework supports a platform 19 that extends across thecarriage at each end and along one side thereof, being cut away from theopposite side near the middle portion thereof, including the area overthe undercut portion 15 of the side member 10. The track rails 18 arelaid parallel with the front wall 20 of the oven, as is customary.

At. one end of the carriage there is a superstructure 21 includinguprights, rails and braces all connected together rigidly and supportedupon and attached to the framealso supported at the top in thesuperstructure 21 and at the bottom in the framework of the carriage.The shaft 23 has attached thereto upper and lower horizontal arms 26,While the shaft 25 carries arms 27 which may be formed integral ifdesired. Thetwo lower arms 26 and 27 are in the same horizontal plane, aportion of the arm 27 being behind the arm 26, in Fig. 3. Hereinafterthe arms 26 and 27 are sometimes referred to as links.

In order to swing the links 26, the shaft 23 may be suppliednear itslower end with spur gear 28, which. is driven by a pinion 29 mounted onthe lower end of a shaft 30 which is rotatably supported at its ends inthe framework of the carriage and in the superstructure 21 thereof. Theupper end of the shaft 30 carries a. worm gear 31 that meshes with aworm 32 on'the end of a shaft 33 driven by an electric motor 34. Thelatter may be supplied with a solenoid brake 35, if desired.

The door carrier is a rather narrow structure indicated, generally, bythe numeral 36,

and comprises brackets 37 to which the ends of links 26 and 27 arepivotally connected. The carrier is thus supported upon the links andmoves as they move. The two brackets for the links 27 are, of course, invertical alignment and the same is'true of the two brackets for thelinks 26. Hence, the ver tical posture of the carrier is maintained inall of its positions.

The top of the carrier consists of a casting 38, which has a pair offorwardly projectingnose pieces 38 carrying the fulcrum 39 of avertically arranged lever 40 having upper and lower door engagingprojections 41 and 42 formed in bifurcations of the lever. At 43, nearthe upper end of the lever 40 and between said bifurcations, there ispivoted a bell crank 44, one arm of which constitutes a door hook forengagement beneath the projection 45 on the 'door 46. The other arm hasan operating link 4.7 pivotally connected thereto. A lever 48 ispivotally connected at 49; to the lower end of lever 40 between thebifurcations thereof, and this lever 48 also constitutes a'door hook forengagement with a projection 50 near the lower extremity of the door. ILatching bars 51 and 52 are mountedin vertical guides 53 and 54 on thedoor, being for simultaneous movement by means of link rods 61, 62 and63, which are preferably of adjustable length. I

The pivot 49 at the lower end of lever 40 is connected by a link 64 withthe short arm of a bell crank lever 65 that is pivoted at 66 to the doorcarrier 36. Thelong arm of the lever 65 is pivotally attached to a rod67 pro- 'vided with a collar 68 that supports a weight 69 which has anaxial opening forthe rod 67. Above the weight 69 there is a coil spring70 surrounding the rod 65 and adapted to engage againstthe bottom of aguide 71 for the rod, for the purpose of cushion'ng sudden upwardimpulses of the weight 69. Above the guide lower end of a lever 74,which is connected intermediate its ends with the above mentioned link47 andwhich'terminates at its upper end in a transverse bar 75 havingtrunnions 7 6 on the outer ends thereof. These trunnions pivotallysupport guide blocks 77 in whch are formed slide guides'for rods 78. Thelatter are fixed in blocks 7 9 which are pivotally mounted upon crankpins 80. Coil springs 82 surround the rods 78 pressing at one endagainst the blocks 77 and at the other end against abutments 81 carriedby the blocks 79, the abutments 81 also having openings through whichthe rods 78 extend. The crank pins 80 are carried by cranks 82 mountedupon a shaft 83 extending through a gear casing 84, with'n which theshaftcarries a worm gear 85 driven by a worm (not shown) on a shaft 86,which is joined by a flexible coupling 87 to the shaft of an electricmotor 88 supported upon the casting 38. This motor also preferably has asolenoid brake 89. V

It will be noted that the platform 19 af fords a clear passagealong-one'side of the carriage and a clear Sp ce at oneend thereofopposite the full open position of the door, so that there is ample roomfor cleaning the sealing clay from the door or for repairing the same. Ipreferably provide a heat shield 90 along one side of the carriage toprotect the workmen upon the carriage from the heat of coke dischargedbelow the track 18. V i

Operation: Vhen it is desired to remove the door from any given retort,the carriage with the door carrier in retracted position thereon 'ismoved along the rails 18by any suitable means to the proper position,when the motor 341's set in motion to drive worm 32 and .wormgear 31,whereby shaft 30 is ro tated, turning pinion 29 and gear 28 meshingtherewith. By this means rock shaft 23 or upon shaft 25, to swing also,thereby helping to direct the course of movement of the door carrier 36.The links 27 may well be termed followers, since they are not poweractuated. At this t'me the lever 40 stands L at the angle shown in Fig.4, but the hook levers 44 and 48 and the latch lifting levers 57 and 58are in a lowered position.

As the lever 40 approaches the door the projections 42 are first toengage the door.

Continued forward movement of the carrier then causes the lever 40 toswing upon its fulcrum 39 into the position illustrated in Fig. 2, wherethe projections 41 also engage the door. At this time the latch bars 51and 52 are in the dotted line positions 51 and 52, and the latch lifters57 and 58 are in their lower position below the bars 51 and 52. Thehooks 44 and 48 are also in their lower position out of engagement withthe projections 45 and of the door. The crank pins 80 are at this timein positions to the rear of that illustrated and the lever 74is-consequently swung back. The motor 88 is now started and the crankpins 80 are advanced slowly, swinging the lever 74 forwardly, thismotion being transmitted through link 47 to the lower arm of the bellcrank lever 44. The upper or hook arm of the lever 44 is thereby swungupwardly until it engages the projection 45 on the door. At the sametime, through link rods 61, 62 and 63, the lower hook 48 is swung upinto the position illustrated in Fig. 2 and the latch lifters 57 and 58are also swung up, moving the latch bars 51 and 52 into their full lineposition where they are above the retainers 55. The door is thusunlatched and the books 44 and 48 are in position to lift it. If theoperator should permit the motor 88 to run after the door hooks arein-engagement with the projections 45 and 50, no harm results becausethe springs 82 are then compressed to take the increased load off thedoor hooks. This compression may continue to a point where the crankpins 80 cross the line between the shaft 83 and the trunnions 76, whenfurther operation of the motor in the same direction, of course,gradually relieves the pressure upon the springs. Motor operation of thehooks 44 and 48 and of the latch lifters 57 and 58 is not essential, asthe operation of these parts may be manual, if preferred. 7

Now the operator starts the motor 34 in a direction to swing the arms 26toward the rear, moving the door carrier in a direction substantiallystraight outward for a time. During the first part of this movement thelower end of lever 40 holds the lower part of the door in engagementwith its seat, this effect being secured by means of the weight 69. Thiscauses the lever 40 to swing upon its fulcrum 39. The rear end of link47 is maintained in a fixed'position, with respect to the carrier, andas a consequence of this fact and of the backward movement of pivot '43the bell crank 44 swings upon the pivot 43 exerting an upward force uponthe projection 45. This shifts the door into the position illustrated inFig. 4. The operation of motor 34 is continued and thedoor carrier isretracted, moving outwardly first in a substantially straightline untilthe door frame is entirely cleared and thereafter in a curved path. Thepath of one forward edge of the door is indicated by the dotted line Ain Fig. 1. In the same figure the path of a rear corner of the casting38 is indicated by the dotted line B. This line sweeps over the sideportion of the platform 19 but is well above the head of a man standingthereon. The path of that portion of the door carrier below the casting38 which moves furthestto the rear is indicated by the dotted line C. Itwill thus be seen that the carrier never in terferes with the movementsof a workman upon the platform.

After the door has reached the dotted line position of Fig. l thecarriage is moved along away from the open retort and the charge of cokeis pushed out. Workmen then clean the sealing clay away from the doorand door frame. Then the carriage is again brought into a position infront of the oven and the motor 34 operated to move the door carriertoward the door frame. The lower end of the l lifters 57 and 58downwardly to unhook the door and latch it, when the carrier may bemoved away and the sealing clay applied.

In pushing the door into position in its frame, it would, of course, bepossible to apply too great a pressure so that damage to the door ordoor frame might result. To obviate this difficulty a limit switch tostop the action of motor 34 at a predetermined point may be employed ora slip connection may be used in the gearing between the motor 34 and 7the rock shaft 23. Both of these expedients, being well known in theart, they are not herein illustrated.

The use of the hook 48 at the bottom of the v ably. Butthe swinging ofthe lever 40 at the begin'ning of the rearward movement of. the doorcarrier to bring about a lifting of thedoor and a breaking of the sealthereof is an important feature of the invention without regard to thedetails of construction employed. The supporting and swlngmg of the doorcarrier upon links is also an important: feature, having the advantageof putting ovens or the like, a carriage adapted to he po-.

sit'ioned opposite the front wall of an oven, a door carrier on'said'carriage adapted to move towardsand away from the oven, a verticallever pivoted above its lower end at the forward end of said carrier, adoor hook pivotally mounted on said lever, means for bringing said hookinto engagement with a projection on the door, and means for holding thelower end of said lever ag'a 1st the door during the first part of therearward movement of the carrier, whereby saidrearward movement swingssaid vertical lever and raises said door hook.

2. In a door handling machine for coke ovens or the like, a carriageadapted. to be positioned opposite the front wall of an oven, a doorcarrier on said carriage adapted to move towards and away from the oven,vertical lever pivoted above its lower end on said carrier at theforward end thereof, a door hook pivotally mounted on said lever, meanson said carrier for bringi said hook into engagement with a projectionon the door, and means for holding the lower end of said lever againstthe door during the first part of the rearward movement of the carrier,whereby said rearward movement swings said vertical lever and raisessaiddoor hook.

3. In a door handling machine for coke ovens or the like, a carriageadapted to be positioned opposite the front wall of an *en, a doorcarrier on said carriage adapted to movetowards and away from the oven,a vertical lever fulcrumed above its lower end on said carrier at theforward end thereof, a

door hook pivotally connected at spaced points wlth said lever and withd carrier respectively extending forwardly and adapt-' ed toengagebeneath a projection on the door, and means for urging the lowerend of the lever forward against the door, whereby the rearward movementof the carrier will swing the lever about its fulcrum and the hook aboutits pivotal connection with the lever to raise said hook.

, 4. In a door handling machine for coke ovens or the" like, acarriagegadapted to be positioned opposite the front wall of an oven,

a door carrier on said carriage adapted to move'towards and away fromthe oven, a vertical lever fulcrumed on said carrier near the upper andforward portion thereof, a

' door hook on said lever near the upper end thereof extending forwardlytherefrom and adapted to engage beneath a projection on the door, saidlever extending downwardly to a position near the lower end of the door,and means for urging the lower endof the lever forward against the door,whereby the rearward movement of the carrier will swin the lever aboutits fulcrum to raise said hoo 5. In a door handling machine for cokeovens or the like, a carriage adapted to be positioned opposite thefront wall of an oven, a doorcarrier on said carriage adapted itsfulcrum to raise said hook.

6. In a door handling machine for coke ovens or the like, a carriageadapted to be positioned opposite the front wall of an a door carrier onsaid carriage adapted to move towards and away from the oven, a verticallever fulcrumed on said carrier at theforward end thereof, a door hookon said lever extending forwardly therefrom and adapted to engagebeneath a projection on the door, a latch lifter also mounted on saidlever,

means for actuating said hook and lifter simultaneously to lift thelatch to inoperative position and raise the hook to operative position,and means set in motion by the rearward movement of the carrier forswinging said lever upon its fulcrum first to raise said hook furtherand thereby liftthe door, and then to tilt the upper end of the dooroutwardly. 7 In a door handling machine for coke ovens or the like, adoor carriage adapted to be moved toward and away from an oven,a leverpivoted onvsaid carriage with unequal moment arms, a door hook pivotallyconnected at spaced points with said, carriage and the short arm of saidlever, whereby the rearward movement of said carriage will swing thelever about its pivot and the' door hook about its pivotal connectionwith said lever to raise plaid hook when it is in engagement with saidoor;

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

roan L. SABIN.

